If someone asked you to name the biggest stars in film history what names would pop in your head? Names like Bogart, Grant, Stewart, Hepburn, Hanks, Ford and… Cruise come to my mind. I know what you are thinking, this must be one of those “one of these things is not like the others” games, but it’s not. While you may think at first Cruise doesn’t belong on the same list as those legends, I say “why not?” The guy has been acting in films for over thirty years, and just when you thought he was done, he reinvents himself and is as good as ever, and for his latest role, all I can say is “Whoa”.
Major Cage (Tom Cruise) is one of those military guys who gets on TV and sells you a war. The day before the biggest invasion in human history, by aliens no less, Cage is called before General Brigham (Brendan Gleeson) who wants Cage to go to the front and film it for the world to see. The problem is Cage became one of those talking guys so he wouldn’t have to see any actual battle, so he refuses the order. Never a good thing to do to your commanding office and Cage is sent to the front as a Private and a deserter. During battle something happens and Cage reawakes back at the base, reliving the day before, but with all of his memories of the previous day. After failing to convince anyone of his experience, Cage eventually finds one person who believes him, her name is Rita (Emily Blunt). The reason she believes him, is because the same thing happened to her, until something happened that took it away. Together they must find a way to defeat the enemy and not just to live, and to die, but, to repeat every day.
What makes a great movie; is you need a good director (Doug Liman), who knows his vision. You also need writers (Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, and John-Henry Butterworth) who adapted a novel into an excellent script. None of that means anything though if you don’t have a star to sell it, and with Cruise, you have the biggest working today. It is hard not to enjoy “Edge of Tomorrow”, it’s just a fun and entertaining ride. With so many cookie cutter blockbusters and even bigger sequels coming out every year, we should all appreciate the original features. While not an original idea altogether, the story was based off the novel “All You Need Is Kill” by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, as a film, it just feels right. Besides being really good, this film reminded me was how big of a star Tom Cruise really is and how you can put him in just about anything and he will own it. I feel like there is nothing more I can say, except, after one viewing, I think you just might want to watch and repeat yourself, just to try and take it all in again. I know that’s what I’m going to do.
Brian Taylor
